By Michelle Bauman
I’m sure you’ve heard talk in the news about a recession lately; more and more pundits are expressing fear, worry, and impending doom. Concern over our country’s financial woes accompany stories about rising gas prices, pictures of empty shelves, and angry posts about incompetence.
And maybe they’re right. Maybe a recession is coming. Maybe it has already started. Maybe our entire economy will fall apart, and we’ll be left sitting on top of a pile proverbial ashes. Then what?
It’s not a happy picture to contemplate, is it? Yet, we Christians know the answer to that question. It’s the same today as it was yesterday and will be tomorrow: God will provide.
God does provide, and He often does so in abundance. We Americans have certainly seen His bounty. Not only has God provided our daily bread, but He has also gifted us steak and potatoes. His blessing of shelter includes heat, air conditioning, and indoor plumbing, and His gift of family extends far beyond our immediate relations to include the entire body of Christ.
Yes, God is the best gift giver. His lavish love for us provides for our daily needs and then some. His best gift? Christ Himself, the first and last, the definition of lavish love and certain hope.
Christ is the key, isn’t He? Because of Christ, our inheritance, our very lives, are imperishable. Dead to sin, Christ “has caused us to be born again to a living hope … to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading” (1 Peter 1:3-4). Our living hope carries us through trials; His perfect provision is not dependent on trending markets or IRAs, boons or recessions. It depends solely on Christ, our sure and certain hope.
We aren’t guaranteed abundance, but God does promise provision. Whatever tomorrow brings, our life and our life work rest securely in Him.